The Pokemon Go Fashion Week: Taken Over event, running from January 15th to 19th, introduces Shroodle and offers another chance to catch Legendary Shadow Pokemon from Giovanni. Beyond these headliners, Niantic has quietly expanded the Shadow Pokemon pool, offering trainers exciting new encounter opportunities. This change coincides with the welcome update allowing remote access to Shadow Raids, making powerful Shadow Pokemon like Palkia and Ho-Oh more accessible, particularly for players in rural areas or with limited mobility. But the increased accessibility doesn’t stop there.
altShadow Ho-oh is available in remote raids for the first time in 2025.
Traditionally, defeating a Go Rocket Grunt offered a chance to catch the first Pokemon they deployed. While encounters with their second Pokemon were possible for certain types, it was uncommon and not universally applied. Dragon-type Grunts, for instance, were restricted to only their first Pokemon. This Fashion Week event changes that dynamic.
Expanding Shadow Dragon Encounters
Although unannounced in pre-event information, players are reporting a significant change in Go Rocket Grunt battles. Specifically, encounters with Shadow Dragonair, typically the second Pokemon used by Dragon-type Grunts, are now possible.
Second Pokémon used by Dragon Rockets also catachable now
byu/Pep95 inTheSilphRoad
This marks a new opportunity to obtain Shadow Dragonair, especially with increased Team Go Rocket activity during the event. Some speculate Dragonair’s serpentine form connects to the upcoming Lunar New Year, celebrating the Year of the Snake. It also concludes 2024’s Year of the Dragon, potentially serving as a final celebration of Dragon-type Pokemon.
More Than Just Dragonair
Shadow Dragonair isn’t the only new encounter available from Dragon-type Go Rocket Grunts. Players have also reported encountering Shadow Gabite and Alolan Exeggutor, a Grass/Dragon dual-type. These additions further diversify the Shadow Pokemon obtainable during the event.
Shiny Shadow Dragonite Remains Elusive
While the expanded encounter pool is a positive development, some trainers express disappointment that Shadow Dragonair isn’t available in its Shiny form. A Shiny Shadow Dragonite remains a highly sought-after prize, but currently unattainable. Despite this, the increased encounter opportunities and the shift to remote Shadow Raids significantly improve players’ chances of expanding their Shadow Pokemon collections in 2025.
